This Story Is Now Diamonds
by Uskius
Summary: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like meets young fanfic writer Randy Fagg for lunch, and a multi-dimensional power struggle ensues. This is an uber-crossover, but mainly with anime. Expect ANYTHING. Not complete, but I'm done with this.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

_First, I do not own any of the characters or franchises depicted here._

_Now, fan fiction has been my main hobby over the summer and fall, something that has taken up many hours of my life. I honestly had never intended to write any in the first place. So, I am writing this one final uber-crossover with as many situations and characters as possible to purge myself of the fan fiction bug. Before you ask: yes, Randy is what you think he is. And lastly, as stated in the summary, expect anything._

**CHAPTER ONE**

"-now look down, I'm on a _boat._" Izakh gives a smug grin and raises an eyebrow.

"Cut! Great job, everyone. Izakh: I think that this was one of your better takes, we'll go ahead and use this one."

"Alright! Glad we finally got it." _It was pretty tough- but not for the same reasons they had._ "Any news about the wrap party?"

"Yeah, it's this Saturday at seven, at Cheddar's. Pretty casual affair; no need to worry about dressing to the nines like you usually do."

Izakh chuckles. "Okay. Will we be doing a gag gift exchange like the others?"

"Of course. Half the fun of the party is seeing what everyone's gonna get!"

_Indeed it is..._ "I'll be sure to bring something extra special this time."

"Ho ho! More special than three grapes and a lemon?" The director laughs again. "Well I'll letcha go, I know you're a busy man. Take care."

"You too, Frank. Bye." Izakh nods, and walks off the set towards his dressing room. He waves and gives his famous smile to the crew on his way out. Once inside the dressing room, Izakh locks the door. He then focuses for a moment, and the samurai helmet turns into a plaid scarf. The rest of the armor turns into a pair of brown corduroy pants, a plain black long-sleeved shirt, a bomber jacket, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. But he waits a few minutes, as he couldn't get changed so quickly by normal means. He takes off a shoe, and flips open the sole. There is a phone built into it. He hits a familiar seven digit number, but she's away from her phone and he has to leave a voicemail.

"Hey, Kristi, this is Izakh calling. I just wanted to know if Randy got the message. If he calls you, tell him I'll be at the Sonic next to Dairy Queen for a snack this afternoon, and we can talk there. This voicemail is now diamonds." Izakh smiles, as Kristi was responsible for that particular line being written. There's still a few minutes before he can safely leave the dressing room, so he puts his foot on the stool: it morphs into an amplifier; he grabs the lamp, and it turns into a Dean Razorback with stained glass panels. "Alright," He says as he plugs in the guitar and amp. "Let's try that one in sixty-four seven, starting in C minor and F major." The oddly powerful and captivating pentatonic lick fills the dressing room. Its strange rhythm and sound would baffle lesser guitarists, but at its core was a surprisingly beautiful melody the rest of the syncopated notes stemmed from. "Gah! It's that same pull-off, every time!" He repeats it at half speed, but the timing isn't much less difficult. He does the pull-off too slow many times, and begins to feel frustrated. He plays the whole thing full speed, but this time the pull-off is too fast. He sighs. "Something easier first, I should have warmed up a little." Izakh does a four count, and starts playing Sam Totman's solo from E.P.M. The beat is much easier to follow after playing in sixty-four seven, and Izakh easily nails it. Satisfied with the performance, he checks the wall clock. _Ah, it's been long enough._ He morphs the guitar and lamp back to their original shapes, and walks out of the dressing room.

**LATER THAT DAY**

Randy Fagg is on the sidewalk, heading towards Sonic. This was the biggest opportunity he'd gotten in months- no, _years_; a chance meeting at a play audition had led to him meeting The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, and Izakh had said they were looking for some extras for the next Oldspice commercial. Randy was an actor, whenever he could be, but that wan't very often. He mostly spent his time on the computer, listening to music and watching anime. And when he wasn't doing that, he was typing fan fiction stories. _Bleach_ was his favorite anime to use. His fics weren't that popular, but people still read them and that was really all Randy wanted.

As he neared the Dairy Queen across the street from Sonic, he saw a camera crew on the patio. _Ah no way! Sweet, they're filming a commercial here! Ha ha! The cheap date one was my favorite..._ Randy hears another car coming up behind him, and he turns to look: it's a black Three Hundred with chrome accents, tinted windows, and spinners. _Nice!_ Randy pulls back the sleeve of his longcoat to check his watch. _Izakh should already be here. _Randy walks a little faster, and soon arrives at the Sonic. There are already a few guys at the outside table, so Randy walks around to the other side. He presses the red button, and one of the men from the other table gets up. Randy does really think much of it. _Probably just going to the bathroom,_ Randy thought.

"Welcome to Sonic, how may I help?"

"Yes, I'd like-"

"All yo money." The man growled, pressing a knife to Randy's throat.

A surge of adrenaline surged with great surging power through Randy. He was used to the energy, though not the situation; however, Randy's paranoia told him exactly what to do. "O- okay. I'm going to turn around slowly and hand it to you." Reaching into his black coat's inside pocket, he pulled out his wallet and turned around slowly. The mugger looked well enough to have bought his own meal, but he had that look in his eye that said he would steal for it anyways. As soon as the man grabbed at Randy's wallet, Randy spat in his face. As soon as the mugger raised his hand to wipe it off, Randy punted him in the groin hard enough to lift him off the ground a couple inches. When he landed, Randy hit him with an elbow to the jaw and there was a sick crunch. All of this happened in about two seconds. To make _damn_ sure the mugger wouldn't be try anything further, Randy flipped the unconscious man onto his stomach and sat on him. He checked his pockets, and found another knife.

"HEY! The fuck do you think your doin'?" It was the mugger's tablemates coming around to Randy's side of the menu.

"I'm just about to order a burger and a Sprite. Y'all already ordered?"

"Don't play that funny shit with us, man. You have no idea who you're messing with."

"Hey, I'm not the one trying to mug someone here! All I wanted was-" Randy leaned down towards the speaker "a Sonic Junior with cheese and a large Sprite- and then one of you guys comes up and puts a knife to my throat. Just think: what would you do if that happened to you? Huh?"

"...Shut the _fuck_ up, and get off Dwayne." Randy stepped back and flipped Dwayne over. _Keeping his knife, though._ "Tremonte, you get Dwayne. Let's go back to the car real quick." The gang stormed off to their Lincoln Towncar.

As they leave, Randy gets out his own fondling knife and opens it. He casually slips the knife hand into his coat and sits down to wait for his meal.

"You call the cops?" Randy looks up and it's the men who play T.J. and Pete on the Sonic commercials.

"No, I don't have a cell phone. Could one of you do that for me?"

"Already done," Said Pete. "Saw him when he pulled out his knife."

"I'll go and take their license plate number," T.J. said. "They're probably just going to drive off-" T.J. was cut short by a gunshot. It hit the menu, and the plastic shattered in his face. They ducked behind the tables, which actually provided decent cover. Then, more shots came out. Two more of the gang members had guns. The tables deflected most of the bullets but Randy knew it was only a matter of time before some of them got through.

The bullets stopped, and Pete saw one of the gangsters walking towards them. Suddenly, he is shot in the foot. "SHITCOCKER MUTHAFUCKER! WHO DA _FUCK_-" And then he is shot in his other foot.

Izakh drops down from overhead. "Want a side of pain to go with that?"

"Tremonte...! Shoot this nigga for me!"

Morphing business cards into guns, Izakh tosses them to Randy, Pete and T.J. "Come with me if you want to live!" Izakh covers their retreat towards his car- the black Three Hundred with chrome accents.

Randy is scared out of his mind. As he learned from some airsoft wargames, he's not much use in a shootout. He aims towards the gangster's Towncar, and fires a couple shots. One hits the windshield, and the other goes over the roof past Tremonte. Izakh and the others make it to the other side of the patio, somehow not hit. Pete aims a shot, and hits one of the gangsters in the shoulder. "Get in, NOW!"

Tremonte watches them peel off. "Fuck this shit! Pop the sunroof, and lemme in the trunk." The trunk is opened, and Tremonte gets out a bazooka. "Time to go Modern Warfare on they asses."

Izakh is speeding down the street when he sees in the rearview mirror a rusty red Lincoln Towncar come around the median. "Hold on tight, fellas! Things are about to get rough!" Tremonte fires the bazooka, but overshoots and hits a car down at the next light. Focusing on shifting reality into a different shape, Izakh opens the hood. He then shifts into reverse and spins the car around, narrowly missing a white sedan crossing the intersection. Two gatling RPG launchers pop up from the engine, and fire towards the gangster's car. They grenades connect, blowing the car off the ground and into several pieces. Izakh then shifts back into drive, and spins the car around. He swerves around a blue Pontiac Vibe, and morphs the car's engine back to normal.

"That always looks so cool in the movies when they spin the car around like that," Randy said. "But to be honest, it's really disorienting." Pete and T.J. nodded in agreement. "Where we headed to now?"

"I have a safehouse in Burkburnette," Izakh answered. "We should get there in about twenty minutes. Now listen-" Izakh swerved around the wreckage of the car Tremonte's bazooka hit. "That model of bazooka he had isn't easy to come by. As in, you don't even see it on the black market, because they're all currently owned by one person."

Randy thought for a minute. "And you and that person aren't... friends?"

"Haven't been for years. He... made me a very lucrative offer, and I refused. He's been after me ever since."

"Haven't you tried going to the police?" T.J. asked.

Izakh shook his head. "The police can't touch him. He's got moles in the government and police in nearly every independent country in the world."

"I didn't think people like that actually existed," Randy thought out loud.

"And he's not the only one. There's a group of four of them; Hozelin is what you'd call the brains of the bunch. He's got a lot of political influence, but prefers to let the other three do the dirty work. Usually."

"So you're ex-C.I.A., or something like that?" Wondered Pete.

"No. There... were six of us. Vathara and I came here several years ago, and... that was against their wishes. She was murdered by Gonterix on our honeymoon."

_Gonterix? That sounds like something from Power Rangers..._ _and so does Vathara... _Thought Randy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," T.J. said.

"It's okay, it's been a while. Now before we get to the safehouse, if you have a cell phone you need to shut it off. I have a secure line there if you want to make a call."

"Wait," Randy said. "Instead of all the places with mountains or lakes or something in the middle of nowhere, the safehouse is in _Burkburnette?_"

"Exactly," Izakh answered with a smile. "Those places with the mountains and lakes in the middle of nowhere are usually the first place they look. 'Sides, it's a nice little town." They drove in silence along the road for a few minutes.

"Say," T.J. questioned, "What was the 'very lucrative offer' you refused?"

"I'll reveal that in the next chapter."


	2. Chapter 2

Izakh took a sip from his mug of hot chocolate and continued. "But Hozelin is more a figurehead than the actual leader. It's goes something like this: Hozelin will work through your country's political system, while Chimaera is the 'decoy'. Soe-Ni Chu will usually act as the villain Chimaera is the 'decoy' for, but on occasion they'll reverse roles. Gonterix... Gonterix simply does whatever the voices in his head tell him to. He isn't the leader per se, but if he doesn't like one of Hozelin's plans the plan changes."

"And how long has your group been around?" Asked T.J. "I don't think worming your way into ninety percent of the world's government is something you can accomplish in a few years."

"I'll just say that Hozelin and Gonterix have had their eye on this place for a long time. Vathara and Soe-Ni Chu are the youngest; and... this is the place Vathara and I came for our honeymoon-"

"You keep saying 'this place'," Pete interrupted. "Like it's some replacement for a forbidden name. Not to mention the code names of the guys in your group, which are ridiculous."

"...Okay then. 'This place' means Earth, and my group is the remnants of an alien race called the Martistu. We have the powers to bend and reshape reality, and are very long lived. I said Hozelin and Gonterix have been watching Earth for a while; by that I meant since a few hundred years before the Trojan War. There. Satisfied?" Izakh raised an eyebrow.

T.J. and Pete chuckle. "Okay, really. Stop yanking our chain." Pete says. "You guys are definitely black ops or something like that."

"More like white ops: carrying out 'black ops' missions through reverse psychology." Even Randy chuckles at this, until he remembers something.

"Guys, wait... I think he's serious. Remember those gangsters that followed us?" Randy looks from T.J. to Pete. "Whatever Izakh used to bomb their car definitely couldn't have fit under the hood of a Three Hundred."

"That's correct," Izakh answered. "Now I have a very serious question. I can prove to you what I'm saying is true. But if I do, I'm going to need your complete trust. Since I personally extracted you from the sting, Hozelin will most likely assume you're in line with me. Again, I can prove to you that what I'm saying is true, but I need to know if I can count on you for support."

"I have a wife and kids," Pete stated. "If you're for real then there is no way I'm sticking my neck out for you. I won't risk getting them involved."

T.J. also has children, but they stay with his ex for most of the month. The divorce didn't go well, and it did a lot to turn his children away from him. He decides his decision will be based on what Randy says. "Tell us, mister Fagg: what's your choice?"

As frequently happens, the "buzz" enters Randy's brain as he's asked a direct question, and he is close to an answer but needs time to focus. "Gimme a minute..."

"Absolutely," Izakh said. "I need to know within the day, but take your time answering."

_I have nothing else to do. "You can release yourself, but the only way is down!" Kinda like that, I think. Uh... okay..._ "...Sometimes Father Connely would say in a sermon, 'Sometimes it's like God is dangling you over a cliff and saying "Trust me!"' ...I just don't have anywhere to go from where I'm at in life right now, and can't see how I could make a living with what I _have_ done. So... I guess what I'm saying is I'm on your side, but I need to know I can trust you too."

"If you watch my back, I'll watch yours. T.J.?"

"I'm in."

"Just like that?" Pete asks. "You just met this guy today."

"You know, I still love my ex, just like the first time I saw her. This is definitely a big risk but my gut's telling me I can trust Izakh."

Izakh turns to Pete. "Hozelin may still target you. I hate to say this, but no matter what you choose you'll still be involved one way or another. You could join with us and have it high risk high reward, or stay with your family. I could have certain documents 'disappear' so Hozelin might overlook you for a while, but there's only so much I can do if you're not with me. Your choice."

"My family. I'm not leaving them."

Izakh nods. "And that's perfectly fine-" Suddenly there was an explosion outside. Randy is startled, and his right hand twitches. "Stay here, I'll go see what that was." Izakh quickly sets down his hot chocolate and hops over the leather sofa, and pulls back the curtains. "Damn, walkers."

"What damn walkers?" T.J. asks, as the ground shakes slightly. Puzzled, he gets up and looks out the window next to Izakh. "You have got to be kidding me..."

"I wish I was. I still some things to explain, but they'll have to wait. We have to take down the AT-AT's before the storm troopers are deployed." Randy and Pete are coming towards the window now, not believing Izakh. There is another tremor, and then Izakh screams "Get down!" The laser cannons hit just in front of the window, but they shatter the wall and blow the guys back a few feet. "Get to the garage! This way!"

They hurry out of the living room, and Izakh kicks open the door to the garage. There is a Kawasaki Prairie Three Sixty ATV in the middle of the garage. Izakh walks over to a tool chest, but instead of pulling out the drawers he opens them like a door. Inside are four rocket launchers and ammo. "Shoot or drive?" Izakh asks.

"Shoot." Pete answers. He served two tours of duty in the Gulf War. Army.

"Drive." Said T.J. He was also in the Army, but was a translator.

_Oh gosh... out of those two, I think I'd do less damage with the car... I THINK... _"I'll drive," Randy answered.

"Alright," Izakh nods. "Randy, we'll go in the car. Know how to drive a stick shift?"

_I barely know how to drive, period._ "No." His left biceps clenches as there is another explosion.

"Okay." As he opens the garage door, Izakh shifts the transmission of the (now)Jeep 4x4 into automatic. "It's go time. Aim for the neck column!" He catches a rocket launcher from Pete and jogs out to the Jeep. He and Randy jump in. Randy's hand shakes as he turns the ignition, and backs out into the neighbor's yard. The AT-ATs are about seventy yards away, perpendicular to the street. "Head for the one on the right!" Randy nods and shifts into drive, and swerves off down the street. He hears Pete and T.J. come out of the garage behind him.

"Faster! It's aiming straight at us!" Randy steps on the gas, and they accelerate in time to avoid being blasted by the laser cannon. "Take a left at the intersection!"

Randy looks ahead at the cross roads. "There's a kind of a stop sign there."

"Nobody uses this road, don't worry!" But right as Izakh says this, a blue pickup drives by. "Faster!"

Randy speeds up again, going about forty miles an hour now. As he nears the stop sign and begins to decelerate for the turn, the laser cannon hits the road in front of them.

"Left!" Randy speeds up and makes the turn too fast, the Jeep's left wheels coming off the road a few inches. Ahead on the road he sees several cars, fleeing from the AT-ATs. A glance in the rearview mirror yields a glimpse of a distant fire truck, and ambulance. Izakh and Randy now have the AT-AT at eleven o'clock. The neck column is still obscured by the head, so Randy speeds up more. Another shot of the laser cannon hits the road ahead of them, and chunks of asphalt hit the windshield. From over to their left, they see the other AT-AT has taken a hit- not to the neck column, but close. "A little faster!"

The neck column is in sight now, and Izakh takes his shot. It hits on target, the shot being perfectly aimed. There is an explosion on contact, and a chain of several more blasts as the AT-AT is brought down. There is another shot from Pete and T.J., and this one hits just behind the head. "Take the next left, let's meet up with them!" Izakh says over the explosions. Randy slams on the brake and goes into a tail spin as he makes the turn, but Gran Turismo taught him well and he somehow drifted onto the street perfectly.

_Holy crap, that was scary. And awesome._ Down the street he sees the ATV, and Pete waves. In a few seconds they meet in the middle of the road. "Nice shot, Pete."

"Seconded," Izakh added. "Let's pull up over there." He said, incidating a house with some lawn furniture. They stop at the curb, and take a seat on the swing and lawn chairs. "Now do you believe me? Hozelin and the rest of the Dark Masters are for real. Now the AT-ATs: I know we're all wondering how the hell they showed up without warning, or at all. So here's another fact about the Martistu: their birth, as well as their awakening, exerts vast amounts of pressure on the fabric of space-time. So much, that it can fracture it and create pockets of sub-space, the development of which are influenced by the Martistu's psyche." Izakh looks to the others to make sure they're following him. "The creation of those sub-space pockets, for lack of a better word, _twangs_ the fabric of space time, sending out a ripple effect of the changes. Those ripples... can be felt by other living beings. You would know them as dreams, or random flashes of inspiration."

"So you're saying the Martistu are indirectly responsible for all the progress here on Earth?" Asked T.J.

"No, not all of it. Most of the 'ripples' have no effect, or application to life."

Randy thought for a moment. "...What's the 'awakening'?"

"Martistu don't have their powers from birth. The potential is always there, but it requires an amount of energy that's expended at birth. So, it's commonly done by an elder Martistu, but sometimes happens naturally during adolescence."

Randy smiles. _That would explain a lot of things._ "And do the sub-space pockets just sit there?"

"_That_ is what you and everyone else wants to know. The Martistu have fought wars over this: should the sub-space pockets develope without interference, or should they be ruled by the Martistu?"

"Where do the other guys from your group stand on that?" Pete asked.

Izakh exhaled. "Soe-Ni Chu and Chimaera are for ruling them, Hozelin is a megalomaniac who wants to rule _everything_, and Gonterix... gives off a vague desire to annihilate all of existence, but as I said before he simply does whatever the voices in his head tell him to." Izakh took a breath. "With enough training a Martistu can manipulate the sub-space pockets and travel to and from them. So this means that one or more of the Dark Masters was watching us leave Sonic."

"That leaves just one thing," T.J. said. "What was the offer you refused?"

"Hozelin revealed that he was planning to double-cross Soe-Ni Chu, Chimaera and Gonterix. He offered to make me his second in command after they were disposed of. Vathara... knew _something_ was up. She made it clear she didn't trust Hozelin, and that the others would be damn fools to trust him, as well. Apparently, Gonterix had been given the same offer by Hozelin; and after he murdered Vathara for leverage, all hell broke loose. I've been on the run since." Izakh took another deep breath. "If they're finally getting sub-space weaponry involved, I'll have to do the same if I want to stand a chance." He looks to Randy. "Randy: would you be willing to come with me to recruit help?"

"Um, uh... I'm not quite sure what I have to do with this. I mean, I sure as hell wouldn't be a good spokesperson for Earth, and I don't know anything about Hozelin and the boys other than what you just said." Randy shrugged

"It could work," T.J. put in. "Just think of it like this recruitment mission is a product: what's happening to you could be happening to the... sub-space people, and you would be showcasing the effects their campaign has on the common man."

Pete nods. "Yeah. You're an actor, right? You could pull that off."

Randy thinks for a moment. _This is happening so fast! Argh! Okay, focus! He said Hozelin may still target us... What Pete and T.J. said makes sense, but I really can't- TALK! _Randy's conscience taps on his mental "door". _"Hello, mind if I pop in? Thanks. Now listen, _Fagg_, when was the last time you were saying this?" When Kristi invited me to lunch with Izakh- but we've been over this before. "And what did I say each and every time? Huh?" _Randy's conscience puts her hands on her hips. _"And what happened when you met with Izakh and Kristi? You can't run forever- and that's something we've both said." I know! _Randy countered, _but every time it's just as hard, if not harder. It's the same mistakes and awkward pauses all the time. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse with a dead horse. _Randy's conscience sang a line from Master of the Wind: _"'For any day that stings, two BETTER days it brings! Nothing, is as bad... as it seems...' Remember that line? How many of those better days have you seen- don't answer me, just think. _Randy's conscience puts her arms around his shoulder. _And remember how you made it through those stingers? You fought, for every second. Don't be scared, because I know you can do it again." _Randy turned and looked at his conscience. _Why do you always have to be so logical, you big dummy? I hate you. _Randy's conscience smiled. _"I hate you too, my little Fagg."_ She gives him a hug. _"Got your answer ready for Izakh?" _Randy nods.

"I'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

Randy looked around nervously. "Are you sure it's okay to be doing it in the middle of the yard?"

"Of course. Who's going to believe what they're seeing?"

"True. Where did you say we were going again?"

Izakh looked over his shoulder. "I didn't say, but don't worry. You should be very familiar with our destination. Now pay _very_ close attention to what I'm about to do..." Izakh held his hands out in front of him, and there a slight shimmering in the air faded in. It intensified, becoming like heat reflected off the road. The disturbance grew and further intensified, a mass of transparent light now writhing in the air; different colors began to blend in. Randy sensed something was being done, in a way similar to how you can feel you're being watched when there's no one around. The shimmering and pulsing colors slowed their dance, and solidified into a set of Japanese style sliding paper doors.

Pete and T.J. looked at each other, and shrugged. They were both curious about the fact there was nothing on the other side of the doors. "One last thing: the 'safehouse' is still a viable option for a base of operations, right?" T.J. asked.

Izakh thought about it for a minute. "I'd say it's more of a weapons warehouse, now that the location's been uncovered. But if you don't have anywhere else to go, it could be used that way." He looks back to Randy. "Ready?"

_I wish I could say somtehing like "I was born ready!"_ "I guess so." Izakh waves a hands at the doors, and one by one they open to reveal a white light. Before following Izakh in, Randy takes one last look back at the world he loved. _Peace out, home dog. Foshizzle!_ Quickly, before he can get too distracted, he runs through the gate.

-Scene Change!-

Randy blinks. The rush of the tingling sensation has worn off, and he finds that they've come out of the tunnel into a courtyard. To the left and right are gates similar to the one he just came through. The sudden realization of his location makes him grin. _Hello, Soul Society! Here I am!_

"Here." Izakh has morphed a couple pens he had into two katana, and Randy takes the one with a pink and black wrapped handle. As he moves to stick it through his belt loop, he finds Izakh has transformed their clothes into the uniforms of the shinigami, with some similarities: Randy's plain red baseball cap is now a red scarf, and his uniform is loose just as his black longcoat was. Izakh's uniform is more normal, but he's kept his aviator sunglasses.

Bo Han is a respectable(if under-appreciated) shinigami, having worked hard the defeat the Hollow Calyven. He was about to leave for the world of the living for his next mission, when he spotted two unfamiliar shinigami. One was tall and had slightly wavy, messy short hair and a big nose; the lean man had a few days of stubble and wore a red scarf. The other was a dark-skinned man with aviator sunglasses, and seemed to have a certain confidence and charisma about him. "Hail, brothers! How goes the mission?"

Izakh speaks. "It's just taken a turn for the serious... types of Hollow we've never seen before just appeared and we may need backup." He looks over to Randy.

"We're to report to Vice Captain-" _Think, Randy!_ "-Kusajishi, before we take further action." _That's just great. We'll have Eleventh Squad after us if this goes wrong..._

Bo Han is from Eleventh Squad, but can't recall seeing these two. He's been busy dealing with Calyven, and figures they must be new recruits. _Hmm... I always like to be early for my assignments, but I have the time._ "I'll take you over." As they began to walk back to the Squad buildings, Bo asks, "How's the rest of the team holding up?"

"We got split up," Izakh answered. "The Hollow attacked, and we had to return here." Izakh gives Randy a subtle nudge with his elbow.

"They were nearly fifty feet tall," Randy said nervously. "I'm amazed we made it back in one piece." _Not exactly a lie, but..._

Bo's thick eyebrows went up. "You might be considered for a promotion if the rest of the mission goes well. I haven't heard of a huge Hollow showing up in months, much less hearing of one being defeated."

"It thanks to Renji's maneuvering I had a chance to take a shot at it."

_He- that actually does kinda sound like my name... uh,_ "They weren't too fast, thankfully."

Bo nodded. "That tends to be how it works; the bigger they are the slower they get. But you can never be too sure: Calyven was fairly large, and could outpace nearly anyone on its web."

The mention of Calyven and web lights up in Randy's mind. _So... he's actually from...?_ As usual, Randy began to let his mind wander, Izakh and Bo's conversation at the edge of his awareness. _So the idea I had of using Bo for a fanfic... heh, and his zanpakuto..._ Randy looked down at the zanpakuto he'd taken from Izakh. It had pink ray skin wrapped in black for the handle; and the hilt was an oval, the decoration reminiscent of a wrestling championship belt centerpiece. _I should give a name to this, something cool... hmmm. I could never think of cool names for my zanpakuto in the fics. Slayer? Decent, but hardly original. Wind-Shadow? I can thank Black Sabbath for that. Ooh, I haven't listened to the song in a while, either. Syuveil isn't quite right, that's more of a name for a long sword from a legend. And I wouldn't call it Valknyr even if its shikai _was_ a spear. I need to finish their story..._ Randy takes another look at the pen Izakh had morphed into a zanpakuto. _Pink and black, championship belt-like hilt... oh! Duh! It's name... is Sharpshooter! He he he..._

Looking up from Sharpshooter, he took in the street level view of Soul Society. It was indeed very similar to its appearance in Bleach, but there Randy noticed a railing that needed re-painting, there a loose cobblestone. The Court of Pure Souls was nearly identical to how it was in the manga and anime, but was in need of the odd maitenance job.

Izakh looked over to Randy. "And how does that sound, Renji?"

_Wait, what?_ Randy shrugged. "It would be fine with me, I guess." Bo nods, and leads them off onto a side street. Just a few yards around the corner is a cantina. Bo pushes open the swinging doors, and they follow him in. The place has the same basic layout as every bar in a Western movie Randy's ever seen, but the decor is from early eighteenth century Edo period. Where there would be a piano, there is a low stage; a man is playing a shamisen(slightly similar to a banjo) while another sings.

"The home,

Of my pride and joy

I can see her face, smiling as days go by..."

Randy thinks the song sounds familiar, and then it hits him: _How can I understand that? Or Bo?_

Izakh notices Randy's sudden revelation. _It only gets worse from there, kid._ "We're stopping here to get a quick drink. What'll you have, Randy?"

"Water, I guess."

"You sure?" Izakh raises an eyebrow.

_Ah._ Randy mouths _Sprite_, and says "Yeah."

Izakh nods to Bo, who places their order. They move over to a table near the doors, which Bo explains are for people getting their drinks to go. Izakh and Randy both feel something approaching, though in different ways. Bo notices too, and the large shinigami glances to the door. A few moments later Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of Squad Eight, walked in. Close behind was his Vice Captain, Nanao Ise. She wore a slightly bothered look on her face, as if she had not quite wanted to accompany her Captain to the cantina.

Kyoraku glanced towards Bo and the others. He vaguely remembers seeing Bo before, but knows the other two are new. He even begins to doubt they are shinigami, but decides to look into that after he's had his sake.

As Captain Kyoraku takes his seat, Izakh winks at Nanao. He tucks his shades into his uniform, and says, "We'll need to hurry to the Squad buildings. I can feel time growing short."

"You mean, for-" _Quick, a name-_ "Po and...?" Randy asks.

"It may be. But... my concern is more for the other... group. I felt it not long after we arrived here."

"Oh!" Bo exclaims, suddenly remembering. "The Shinigami Men's Association meeting is today!" He looks to Randy and Izakh. "It's a great relief to know the new recruitment drive is working." Izakh nods. There is a short awkward silence, and Randy can feel Captain Kyoraku watching them.

Izakh clears his throat. "If it's anything like I've heard, it'll be amazing."

"It's even better," Bo says, as Randy's "water" arrived.

"It will be a moment for your other drinks." The serving girl hands the small canteen to him. She bows, and heads back into the kitchen.

Going on, Bo extolled the virtues of the Shinigami Men's Association, and of its rivalry with the (in)famous Shinigami Women's Association. Randy smiled and played with the handle of Sharpshooter, listening as Bo told of the discussion of whether they should change the model of sunglasses worn during meetings.

"In fact, the leading choice is the style you have," He said to Izakh. Just then Bo's beer and Izakh's tea arrived. "I'll pick up the tab." He says to the server girl. He reaches into his uniform and pulls out several Kan to pay. Bo nods to Izakh and Randy, and they leave.

Kyoraku sees them walk out the door and leans in towards Nanao. "Eh, Nanao-chan. Send a hell butterfly to Sui Feng-san; ask for a unit of the Patrol Corps follow those three that just left."

"Now, Captain?"

Kyoraku shrugged and smiled. "Or tomorrow; whichever you prefer."

Nanao sighs. "I'll take care of it now."

-Scene Change!-

"-and _that's_ why I'm banned from thirty-two districts of Rukongai."

"Inconceivable! Clearly, you weren't responsible for all the damage." Said Izakh.

"After the final battle, most of the bystanders were too stunned to know who did what." Bo scratched his head. "Personally, I can't blame them. It's just how my zanpakuto works." Glancing over, Bo sees the turn. "Here we are."

Slightly stunned from Bo's tale of how he defeated the nefarious Hollow Calyven, Randy shook his head. _And I thought being a shinigami was normally a cake walk. Damn!_ Randy puts his hand back on the handle of Sharpshooter, and follows Bo and Izakh around the corner. The Squad office building was straight up ahead, and some shinigami could be heard sparring behind it.

Bo nods to his squadmates as they enter the building. Several glances come their way, but only one(slightly familiar) man looks suspicious. Randy did his best to look bored, as if he'd done this countless times, but it was getting harder. There was an unshakable feeling they were being watched by a malevolent force- and it was growing stronger. He couldn't help but notice that as they went down the hall, the shinigami who looked their way looked increasingly alarmed by their approach. _It can't be us. Bo's a pretty big dude, but he's freindly. Izakh doesn't look too threatening, and I know I definitely don't. So..._

When they reached the end of the hall, a female shinigami with short dark blue hair stopped them. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She said, nervously looking around them. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You know what happened the last time someone tried this, right?"

Izakh nodded very seriously. "But it's a risk we'll have to take. We have a serious emergency to report on."

The female shinigami sighed. "Alright. Just don't say I didn't warn you." Bo turns and is about to knock on the door, when he sees a note taped to it.

"Yachiru is slee~eepy! Don't wake her up!"

He looks back to Izakh, and knocks three times. There is silence.

_I can't believe I'm about to say this._ "Perhaps we would have better luck with Captain Zaraki?" Wondered Randy.

"Are you sure it's so serious?" The female shinigami asked. "I'm the Fourth Seat; I could take care of it for you. Heh, it's been a while since I've seen some action." She indeed looked capable, having a wiry frame and skin that almost glowed with good health.

_I'm sure she's decently skilled, but to defeat the best we'll need the best._ Izakh thought._ Although, it would help our cover to have a seated officer along._ "We'll see. Let's report to Captain Zaraki; and maybe he'll assign you to the team."

The female shinigami nods. "He was out back in the courtyard sparring." She nods towards the other end of the hall, and they begin to walk back to the outside. _Wonder what Squad those two guys are from? Come to think of it, I've never really seen Bo with any other shinigami outside of missions. But he must at some point; we all know he's a member of the Men's Association._ She adjusted her headband, and took a sideways glance at Izakh and Randy. _The dark one looks like he's seen some action. Not that bad lookin' either. Scarf Boy must be tall, to be only half a head shorter than Bo. _She glanced at Randy's hand, his thumb tucked into the uniform's sash. _But for his knuckles, he doesn't look like much. Those are the knuckles of true fighter._ "Take a right here; it'll get us out back faster." The turn is into a short hallway, and the sounds of sparring are even louder. "It's just out this door-" She said, gesturing to the end of the hallway. _Hold on. If they're not from our Squad, then...?_

Bo opened the door, and they were greeted with the sight of Captain Kenpachi Zaraki sparring with his Vice Third Seat: Ikkaku Madarame. Both men had their uniform tops hanging about their waists, the afternoon sun glinting off their sweaty chests. Kenpachi looks up, while casually deflecting Ikkaku's attack with his off hand. "Hey, Tamina-kun! Who're your friends?" Kenpachi grinned. "They're welcome to spar with us too."

Randy gulped, and looked to Izakh. "I'm Ieyasu Matsuda, and to my left is Renji Fudo."

Bo spoke up. "They were returning from a mission in the real world, and were to report to Vice Captain Kusajishi." Bo cleared his throat. "She was unavailable."

"Tough shit. What Squad you two from? I don't recognize ya." Kenpachi rested his practice sword over his shoulder.

At that moment, three shinigami flash stepped inbetween Kenpachi and Izakh's group. They were from the Stealth Force, the unit that Captain Kyoraku had requested to follow Izakh and Randy. In unison, they drew their zanpakuto. "They're not from any Squad, Captain Zaraki." Said the middle ninja. "Those two men are impostors. We are to escort them to the Maggot's Nest."

The Stealth Force member on the right added, "And for some reason, we were not instructed that they be taken alive. Curious."

Randy looked down to Sharpshooter's handle. _On a scale of one to ten, how much is this gonna suck? "With me drawn, I'd say ten. Without, it goes up to eleven. Possibly twelve. Using me would be the difference between multiple fatal wounds, and a few severe ones." _Randy nods. _Inanimate objects are always so matter-of-fact and sensible. _Though his reflexes are very sharp, and he was always fond of swords, Randy knows he'll be next to useless if they fight. "Well. Why don't we see which one it'll be?" He draws Sharpshooter, and feels the eyes of everyone in the courtyard on him as he does so. Randy settles into a stance, and the very instant he brings Sharpshooter up the middle Stealth Force member flash steps to him, and brings their zannpakuto down. And then, to his immense shock, as the blade connected with the base of Randy's neck he felt-


	4. Chapter 4

-nothing. The ninja reeled back in shock, his hands and neck bleeding. "Wh- ..._how?_"

Randy took a calming breath. He was tempted to strike while the ninja was confused, but was sure that would ruin the mission.

Izakh looked to Captain Zaraki. "Doesn't that seem familiar?" Kenpachi thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, like the first time that Ichigo kid tried to cut me. Same thing happened to him." Zaraki said, referring to the ninja's spiritual pressure rebounding agaist him.

_It's only a matter of time before he realizes it._ Izakh thought, looking to Randy. "So as you can see, we're not exactly imposters."

Tamina spoke up. "But you're still not from Squad Eleven. I'm fairly certain I've never seen you before. So if you're not imposters, as you say, then what the hell are you doing on our grounds?" There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of her Squad mates.

"Well," Izakh said, turning to her, "the Stealth Force member's correct. We are from no Squad." At this, Captain Zaraki, Tamina, and Bo drew their zanpakuto; the other shinigami in the courtyard followed suit. "I'll admit our cover was paper-thin at best, but our intentions were unfeigned. We really are in need of help."

"So those Hollow you talked about defeating were a lie?" Bo asked, looking down at Izakh.

"Half a lie: they were large mechanical troop carriers, armed with laser cannons- or what you would call Destructive magic blasts. In our world, they're known as AT-AT's. And that wasn't the only trouble: earlier, we were pursued by agents of a council whose plans are already affecting Soul Society."

Tamina's eyes narrowed. "How? We've been at peace since Aizen was imprisoned."

"Aha! See, know one knew how deep Aizen's treachery went until the attempted execution of Rukia Kuchiki, did they? It was simply justice being carried out as the law prescribed, and nothing seemed wrong." There was a moment of silence. The shinigami of Squad Eleven looked at each other and then back to Izakh. "Now why don't we sheath our weapons and discuss this inside?"

One of the Stealth Force members stepped up. "I'm afraid that won't be happening. Weapons sheathed or not, we still have orders for your capture and detainment. I'll mention that you want an audience, but... the Captain is not known to respond well to traitors and impostors."

"That's perfectly fine." Izakh answered, holding up a hand. "Hold on. Capture and detain us all you want, but let me say a few things first. Now, I mentioned a council whose plans are already affecting Soul Society. I also described their troop transporters briefly. Now let me ask you this: are any of you aware that there are spells which can bend, displace, or even stop space and time?"

Another of the Stealth Force members nodded. "I've heard of them."

"This council has similar powers, but on a much, much greater scale: they have access to pockets of space-time which are completely under their control, some of which have technology far more advanced than yours; and not just the technology but fighters also. Furthermore, they apparently can permanently open they gateways between the worlds, and the unique features of the space-time pocket melt into the other's."

Randy's jaw dropped, and he blinked in surprise. _Hey, you were referring to the Stealth Force when you answered about how much this is gonna suck, right? _Sharpshooter was silent for a moment. _"...Which one would get you to just shut up and bring your A Game?" Uh, the implied threat of dealing with Storm Troopers and possibly a certain Sith Lord? "Then that's the one I meant. Just chill. We could do this if you tag me in." _Randy cleared his throat. "So. The audience with Captain Sui Feng, perhaps she could persuade the Captain-Commander to come with her?"

Izakh nodded. "Yes; we want to make this official. If we can't reach an agreement, then we'll leave Soul Society and you won't see us again. However, there is still the matter of the council I mentioned earlier. I have knowledge of their operation, and would suggest an audience with the Captain-Commander regardless of whether we're detained so you'd be prepared for their invasion. Not to mention Renji and I are capable fighters, who'd be willing to help."

Randy looked to Izakh and raised an eyebrow. _...In theory, at least; but what I did to Dwayne was instinct. _Sharpshooter yelled, _"Then what does that make me, a shiny stick with kung-fu action?" Oh, sorry. "Damn right you're sorry! Is all you're going to do whine?"_ Randy swallowed, and looked around at the shinigami in the courtyard. Captain Zaraki had his usual blank look on; Ikakku and all the others looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. Bo had Rainbow stuck between the floorboards and was resting his hands on the handle; and Tamina brought her zanpakuto up to rest on her shoulder, and adjusted her headband.

The ninja who'd attempted to strike Randy said, "... We'll see what we can do, but again: at some point you're going to end up in the Maggot's Nest." He turned his head towards Kenpachi. "Captain Zaraki, may I request that two or three of your officers accompany us to our Squad buildings?"

"Eh, why not." Kenpachi said with a shrug. "Ikakku, Bo, Tamina: you head over there with them." He smirked. "We'll finish this later," He said to Ikakku.

The ninja nodded, and huddled with the others of the Stealth Force. One of them said something that sounded like "yes, sir" and flash stepped off. The remaining two ninja sheathed their swords, and signaled for everyone else to do the same. As they did the Stealth Force gestured towards the door, and came up behind Randy and Izakh. Tamina stepped up to Randy's left, and put her hand on Sharpshooter's handle. He looked at her, and her expression said _Don't even think about it._ He stuck his thumb in his sash behind Sharpshooter, and whispered "I won't."

-Several dozen awkward and silent minutes later-

The ninja led them into the holding room. "I'll alert the Captain of your presence, but she will most likely request that you be sent to the-"

"There's a phrase from the world of the living, 'just quit while you're ahead.' Shut your mouth Jotaro, and don't make any more assumptions."

"Ah! Yes, Captain."

"It's bad enough they were not immediately taken to the Maggot's Nest. You are dismissed." Sui Feng waved him away. She studied Izakh and Randy for a moment. _The one with the scarf looks far too stupid to be up to anything. He must be the muscle behind this; Jotaro said he couldn't cut him. Although, the dark one doesn't look helpless either. He must be charismatic, to have talked his way out of the hit._ "...Earlier today Captain Kyoraku alerted me to the presence of two men he suspected to be posing as shinigami. That's you, is it not?"

"No, actually. The shinigami escorting us here were the fakes. You just let them get away with their part of the plot." _Randy, you fucking idiot. You actually said that out loud._ Izakh looked towards him.

"If I truly believed that, I wouldn't have let them do so." _Just as stupid as he looks._ Sui Feng turned to Izakh now. "I was informed the reason for your infiltration was to abduct and or recruit 'help' for a supposed crisis in the world of the living. Is that correct?"

"Indeed. And as I stated to the members of the Stealth Force, you can refuse the offer and we'll leave. Perhaps even without sharing key information that may help you defend yourselves against the Dark Masters."

Sui Feng walked up to Izakh and socked him across the mouth. "You are in no position to make demands or even _imply_ a demand. I should also add that even if you're not impostors and are actually rogue shinigami, you would still have to answer to me. And you are not making a good impression."

Izakh thought for a moment. "Randy, stand up." He motioned, and Randy got up from his stool. "Randy, are you familiar with the concept of the Force?"

"Of course I am. I love Star Wars."

"Try to pick up the chair." Randy reached down with one arm, and picked it up. Izakh sighed. "With the Force, I meant."

_They should invent a new word for my level of stupid. Randiot?_ "Ahem, right. Well, hold on. Even if what you said about the 'unique features' of the space-time pockets melting together is true, I don't think that's possible. Look-" Randy waved at the stool, and it shifted towards Captain Sui Feng a few inches. "Let me try that again." _Sometimes stuff kinda "blinks" and it looks like it moved. _Randy held out his hand, and focuses for a second. He lifts his hand and as he does so, the stool too rises off the ground. The shock breaks his concentration, and the simple stool falls to the floor.

"Have you ever tried to move things with your mind before?" Izakh asked, with a small smile.

Sui Feng stared at him, hard. "That's totally irrelevant." _Yes._

"Okay, okay. But my point is that what Randy just did wouldn't have been possible yesterday, and it's a direct result of interference from the Dark Masters."

"Interesting. Equally interesting is this 'interference' was not present before your arrival. From my point of view, that brings up a very obvious solution to the problem."

Izakh sighed again. "One last time: you can refuse to help us, and we'll leave. Or we can stay, and help you prepare for and maybe even fight the Dark Masters before we leave with your help. I also will mention Captain-Commander Yamamoto may wish to be informed of this, so all the proper parties will be responsible for the consequences of our actions." Izakh stared back at Sui Feng.

Sui Feng clenched her jaw. "The Captain-Commander has already been notified. I haven't received word yet, but you should know that a man like him cannot just take time away from his duties to parley with everyone I detain for questioning."

Randy looked towards the door, a distinct presence walking in. "That is indeed true, Captain Sui Feng. But I perhaps would not be the age I am if I had not learned caution."

"Captain-Commander!" Sui Feng said, bowing.

"At ease. Now, the hell butterfly said you wished a brief talk with me?"

"Yes, sir. Randy and I are from the world of the living, although not quite the same one you know." Izakh glanced at Sui Feng before continuing. "As I attempted explaining to Captain Sui Feng, I, along with the entire world of the living, am being targeted by a group of men with the power to bend and reshape reality. They have some very advanced technology and fighting forces at their disposal; and I believe that they are now planning to crush me in one blow so they can rule the living world unopposed. I mean to ask for your help, in putting a stop to their plans here and the world of the living."

Sui Feng cut in. "Captain-Commander, I suspect that these men are of the same race. The one with the scarf has already demonstrated powers similar to the ones he described."

"Just a moment, sir- yes, I am. I was once a member of their council, until one of them took the life of my wife. And I can tell you, they will not listen to reason or stop their rampage until absolutely everything is under their control."

Yamamoto thought for a minute, and pulled a small wooden canister out of his long, gray beard. Inside were a few rolled up sheets of paper and an ivory pen. He wrote down a few words, then looked up to Izakh. "I propose this: if these men you have spoken of invade Soul Society within the near future and move to attack you, then you will have our help. I shall assign two Captains to aid you, and up to five hand picked officers. If they do not, then you shall be sentenced to a cell on the very lowest floor of the Maggot's Nest, in the company of a certain former Captain. Are these terms agreeable?"

Before Randy can comment on sharing a cell with Aizen, Izakh answers. "Yes. And to prove my position, I have a small favor to ask of you, sir." Yamamoto raised his eyebrows slightly. "I want you to reach out with your spiritual pressure, and lift Randy up into the air a few feet."

_What manner of fool does he take me for?_ Yamamoto thrusts his hand at Randy, who promptly is slammed into the wall by the Force. Yamamoto opens his eyes.

As soon as he gets his breath back, Randy says, "Thanks for volunteering me, Izakh. I always wondered what that would feel like." _I think that gave me a concussion... I'm kinda fuzzy right now..._ Sharpshooter punched Randy's mental shoulder. _"You wuss. Trust me, that didn't give you a concussion. 'Sides, you've walked away from worse than this."_

Yamamoto coughed. "Your position is noted. Captain Sui Feng, do you have anything further to add?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm. See that they are given more comfortable quarters, and of course remain vigilent for signs of invasion. That is all." Yamamoto nodded to Izakh, and left with Sui Feng.

Randy took a deep breath, and massaged the back of his head. "I'm glad that's over-" He was cut short by the sound of an explosion and a jet flying past-


	5. Chapter 5

Randy looked to Izakh. "...I can feel him now. He's here, isn't he?"

He holds out his hand, and their confiscated zanpakuto fly back into the room. "May the Force be with us all." Izakh nods, and Randy heads out the door. Sui Feng is coming down the hall, her trademark scowl on her face. "We're going to need some strong Destructive Spells to take down the TIE fighters. And... leave the one in black for me, if possible. I want to make an example of him."

"Fine. And who returned your zanpakuto?"

"I did. Now let's get moving." Quickly they jogged out of Squad Two's building's, right into the crossfire. The Stormtroopers had the shinigami from Squad Two pinned down. Some were throwing kunai, and the occasional Destructive Spell. There were no casualties... yet. Sui Feng nodded towards the Stormtroopers, and vanished. Randy drew Sharpshooter, and Izakh drew his katana as well. As they moved towards the shinigami, a few badly aimed shots were fired at them. One was on target, but by sheer luck Randy managed to deflect it with Sharpshooter.

Bo and Tamina flash step in behind them. "How'd the audience go?" Bo asked. He had Rainbow drawn a couple inches, his thumb resting on the guard.

"As well as it could have," Izakh said. "But we were interrupted." He tapped a shinigami from Squad Two on the shoulder. "Your Captain should be in position behind their formation, and I assume she means for us to strike during the confusion from her attack. Randy here will lead the charge."

Randy gulped, and looked from the shinigami(Omaeda) to Izakh. "Izakh. I think I could deflect a few blaster rifle shots, but there are at least two dozen Stormtroopers over there. I'd be dead in about three seconds if I led a charge."

Tamina steps up, smiling. "I'll flank him." She tapped the handle of her zanpakuto. "Kappa here should deflect most of their shots."

_Probably because she's actually in shape,_ Thought Randy._ Kappa doesn't look any bigger than Sharpshooter._ "What do you mean?"

"Observe." Tamina flashed a grin before drawing Kappa and holding it up straight in front of her, and put her left palm against her right forearm. "Shred, Kappa!" The katana's blade glowed white, and expanded into an oval shape on her right forearm. After the glow faded, Tamina now carried a tortoise shell buckler with a razor-sharp edge. _This is perfect! Ha_ _ha!_ Contrary to what the rest of her Squad assumed, Kappa was not a plain melee type zanpakuto: it was actually a water type. It was capable of turning low level Spells and energy attacks into water when deflected, which only made using another of its abilities easier; Kappa granted invisibility when in a body of water, even a small puddle the size of the buckler. She lightly pushed Randy aside, and threw Kappa over Squad Two's shinigami. It spun through the air and brained one of the Stormtroopers, before flying back.

The moment it returned, Sui Feng attacked. She threw several kunai into the Stormtrooper formation at random, as well as stabbing two in the formation's back. Randy let out a surprisingly good war cry and rushed the front line. He indeed did deflect a few shots of the blaster rifles, and Tamina shifted from his right to left deflecting the ones he was in danger of missing. The puddles of water created by Kappa weren't much of a problem for the Stormtroopers, until Randy and Tamina had closed the gap. Then it was like Tamina popped up at random, deflecting blaster shots and dealing lethal slashes with the edge of Kappa. Randy also tried a few slashes with Sharpshooter, aiming for the unarmored cloth between the trooper's armor plates. The black fabric would have resisted any normal knife, but Sharpshooter parted it easily. Randy's main tactic was to spin around and roll randomly so as to not present a consistent target to shoot at. He could hear Sharpshooter scream at him, _"Tag me in! Come on!"_

Sui Feng watched the battle with a tiny hint of amusement. _Had I known those foreign soldiers were so incompetent, I would've done this myself. And Randy... is either flailing around randomly or far better than I previously thought. _She saw him trip as he tried a rapid spin. _Mm-hmm, flailing around randomly. The woman is making up for it, though._ Just as a small smirk began to creep onto Sui Feng's face, she sensed Yamamoto flash step in beside her.

"This situation is more troublesome than it seems, Captain Sui Feng." He opened his eyes and glanced toward her. "Their aircraft are resistant to Destructive Spells, but I will deal with that detail shortly. Perhaps more worrisome is... I sensed a disturbance, a very dark and somewhat Hollow-like spiritual energy approaching from the vicinity of Squad Eleven's grounds."

_"...leave the one in black for me... I want to make an example of him."_ "Have squads Ten and Nine not already taken action, sir?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto held Sui Feng's gaze for a moment. "Sense his energy, and then imagine the difficulties they would have subduing him."

Sui took a breath, and tried to sense the energy Yamamoto described, but there was an ominous feeling in the air that impeded her search. As she slowly recognized the feeling for what it was, a rare expression of shock came over her face.

"However, I am confident the abilities of your Shikai and perhaps Bankai could dispose of him." Yamamoto glanced towards the massive bloodbath that had been the attempted Stormtrooper ambush. "You may wish to bring one or two of them to provide a distraction."

Sui Feng took a breath and nodded. "Yes, sir." She gave a quick bow and flash stepped down to the blood pond next to Randy. "It's been recommended that we return to your Squad buildings to eliminate another threat," Sui Feng said to Tamina. "It was implied that you would come with us." She said to Randy, with a look that said she wouldn't really care if he did.

Randy sighed, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, the adrenaline rush of the battle leaving him twitchy. "Alright. Just give me a few seconds to catch my-" But before he could finish, he heard the whine of TIE fighter engines from behind and in front of them. They fired their laser cannons simultaneously: one hit a few dozen yards behind Randy, in front of Squad Two's shinigami; the other cannon's impact was close enough to almost knock Randy off his feet.

"Fall back!" Sui Feng quickly ordered. They fled, and Tamina deflected one of the incoming shots with Kappa. The block forced her down to one knee, and chipped the edge of the buckler. Their flight continued down the streets of the Court of Pure Souls, Sui Feng and Tamina always dodging by less than a foot. Randy also went unhit, due to two badly aimed shots and tripping once.

_They're out of sight now... get up, Fagg. Get! Up!_ Randy forces himself up, and takes a few deep breaths. But before he could start running, Tamina flash stepped in front of him.

"I'm only gonna do this once, so you better enjoy it." She said, with a small frown.

"Only going to do what on-" Mid sentence she slung him over her shoulder and took off, flash stepping from rooftop to rooftop. "Hey!"

Tamina glanced up at Randy. "You could've said something about not being able to do a flash step."

"Oh..." _Well, technically I _do_ know how to do one, but that's not the first thing that comes to mind when I'm in a life or death situation. I'm going to think of __physically__ running, not creating some current of energy under my feet to move at high speed._ "I guess you could say I'm... out of practice." _That's what she said!_

"You're going to need to start," Tamina said, glancing at Randy again. "We're down here." She touched down in a shadowy alleyway, and Sui Feng materialized out of the darkness. As Randy half expected, she was not happy.

"I spotted the 'one in black' before you returned. He's stopped on the edge of your Squad's grounds."

Tamina nodded. "I can sense him now... if we take Kubo street, that should be a good way to come up behind him."

Randy looked from Tamina to Sui Feng. "Um... if we can sense his energy, then he can definitely sense ours."

Sui Feng sighed. "Are there any other powers of his you would like to tell us about now?"

"Well, he _might_ be able to shoot lightning out of his hands, he has a lightsaber, that... can cut through anything, uh... duh- he also can use the Force. It's what Captain Yamamoto used on me in the interrogation room."

Tamina nudged Randy. "Hey, why don't you release your zanpakuto? We could use an extra sword."

"Uh, umm..." Randy looked down to Sharpshooter. _Well... _Sharpshooter walked out from Randy's mental "backstage". _"Look, you already know my name. Do I have to spell it out for you? S. U. B. D-"_ Randy's eyebrows went up. "Yeah. Give me a few seconds to catch my breath."

-A Few Blocks Away, Trying To Sneak Up On Randy, Sui Feng And Tamina-

"He said take the third left, didn't he?" The nervous man in the Stormtrooper armor looked to his partner.

"Right. I mean, yes, take the third left."

The first trooper peeked around the corner, before going on. "I wish I could have said no. But how do you prepare yourself for the impossible?"

"I don't know! This day's just been ridiculous, like one of those bad fan fiction stories."

"Yeah; I can't even read the name Elrond without throwing up in my mouth a little anymore." Several moments of nervous anticipation passed before he spoke again. "Ahem- then the first alley to the right?"

"Uh-huh, it's just over there-" Suddenly Sui Feng, Randy and Tamina burst out of the narrow alleyway. "Randy! Stop right there!"

"Wha- no... no... Is that you, Pete?" _This can't be happening..._

T.J. lowered his blaster rifle. "We have orders from Lord Vader to escort you to his location. Come with us."

Tamina hung Kappa on her back and crossed her arms. "Or what? Huh?"

"Hold on- we can trust them," Randy said. "Right, guys?"

"Yes," Pete said, nodding. "But let's hurry over to Lord Vader."

"We won't be hurrying anywhere," Tamina answered. "And besides, we were already on our way there. Start walking."

"Okay." Pete motioned back down the street. "Follow us." As they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, the feeling of impending doom magnified- justified by the presence of the man who appeared by their side.

"I'm not one to hide," Zaraki said, with his trademark smirk and a tilt of his head. "So I thought I'd join up with you. I was takin' my time lookin' for the strong one, got bored."

_More like lost,_ Sui Feng thought. "He's only about two blocks away. Randy: anything you'd like to say?" The tone of her voice said it wouldn't matter either way.

Randy pondered their situation for a moment. _Vader's so strong, one mistake and we've blown it._ In a flash, it came to him. _Of course!_ "He prob'ly won't be expecting us to use The Force." Zaraki looked non-plussed, as well as Tamina. "Here, try to sense what I'm doing." He held up Sharpshooter, and used The Force to levitate it away from his hand a few inches. _How did Izakh say it? ..."Reach out with your spiritual pressure and lift me up into the air," something like that._ "Uh, why don't you all try it real quick. Just to... make sure we have it down."

Tamina and Zaraki had skeptical looks on their faces, but soon tried it. Sui Feng drew her zanpakuto, Suzumebachi, and used The Force to levitate it in front of her as if she'd known how to do so all her life. Kappa spun around in front of Tamina, wobbling slightly. And while the others were busy, Kenpachi Zaraki looked up. There was a bird flying overhead; he half-heartedly used The Force as Randy had suggested, and it froze in place. He raised an eyebrow, and let it go.

"So it's pretty much like that," Randy began, when suddenly three shinigami flash stepped into their circle. One was Ikakku Madarame, the Third Seat of Squad Eleven, who had a mysterious handprint on his throat; the other was Yachiru Kusajishi, a small girl with pink hair who was Zaraki's adoptive daughter and also his Vice Captain; and the third was none other than Izakh himself. The officers of Squad Eleven shared a small smile, realizing they'd never battled together.

"Looks like this is gonna be one wild party," Tamina said. They began to chuckle, when Izakh cleared his throat.

Ikakku glanced at him, then announced, "He's waiting in the courtyard."

Looking around to the other shinigami first, Zaraki turned and led the way. Pete and T.J. brought up the rear, still wondering if this all was really happening. The anticipation and anxiety built to almost unbearable levels, until finally they arrived at the front door.

"One last thing," Izakh said. "Randy may have mentioned Vader has a light saber, a type of energy sword that can cut through anything; your zanpakuto just so happen to fall under 'anything'. Captain Zaraki, with your permission I'd like to slightly modify your sword so it will hold up against Vader's light saber."

Kenpachi regarded Izakh for a few seconds. "Can you change it back?" Izakh nodded. Zaraki unsheated his sword, and tossed it to Izakh. "Ya got ten seconds." Closing his eyes. Izakh waved his hand over the blade, which then glowed with a golden aura.

"Don't touch the blade," Izakh warned as he gave it back. Kenpachi gave an almost invisible nod, and kicked open the doors. The shinigami of Squad Eleven lined the hallway, and cheered as Zaraki passed by.

"Kick his ass, Captain!"

"Rip him a new one!"

"Show 'im what Squad Eleven's all about!"

Though it seemed to take minutes to walk the the main building, a handful of seconds later they came out into the courtyard. In the middle of it stood Darth Vader, facing away from them. Slowly, he turned around. "How good of you to join me..."

Randy spoke up. "How are you still alive? Didn't you sacrifice yourself to save Luke...?"

Vader laughed the most unnerving quiet laugh any of them had ever heard. "You have underestimated the Dark Side, young one: I only sacrificed my body." Briefly, he removed his black helmet, to reveal a young man with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He put it back on and said, "I am now more powerful than young Skywalker or my former self ever were." He turned to face Randy directly. "Step down, for the fear I sense in you would be your undoing." Randy mouthed "yes sir" and took a couple steps back. "I see you have not come alone, Izakh. Am I to report that to Hozelin, as a sign you've grown weak?"

"Hell no."

"Your emotions betray your words. Are you now fighting your battles vicariously, as those who you hate do?"

"Yes. I'm battling vicariously, through myself."

"Clever; but I see that only one of your group has their sword drawn. Do you intend to sacrifice him so you might escape?"

This time Zaraki said, "Hell no! Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but around here we let our swords do the talking. You gonna fight or not?"

Darth Vader stretched out his arm, and his lightsaber floated into his hand and activated. "Prepare to witness the obliteration of all hope-" He brought his other arm up, and the light saber moved to float pointing up, between his palms. "_Bankai._" Light streamed away from the Sith lord's light saber; deeper and deeper shades of black then poured out until absolute darkness emanated from it; and then dark shades of colors burst out, leaving behind faint sparkles. The ozone smell associated with being in close proximity with a light saber also intensified. Later, Randy would think to himself it was like watching the birth of a galaxy. "Twilight Dementia," Vader said, the black-light saber returning to his glove. "The greatest of all light elemental zanpakuto."

"Pretty light show," Zaraki scoffed, "But it doesn't look much different." _These invaders always have the weirdest Bankai._

_Wrong,_ Sui Feng almost said out loud. _The shadows around him, they're blurring and shifting..._

"Then observe the differences." He swung forward Twilight Dementia, and it's shadow leapt up from the ground and grazed Zaraki's cheek. In the blink of an eye Zaraki rushed in and clashed with Darth Vader, furiously thrusting and slicing. At every turn he was blocked, with the occasional wisp of shadow dancing upwards and cutting him. Though he lacked the physical strength of Kenpachi, Vader was lightning fast and had impeccable technique- something Zaraki was rumored to have but never use. Zaraki was easily able to keep pace with Vader, however, and he used his power advantage to drive the Sith back towards the North wall of the courtyard. Without warning, Darth Vader used The Force to pull up the lone tree and sling it towards Kenpachi. The Captain moved to slice it in half, but as he did so Vader swung Twilight Dementia and the tree's large shadow jumped up and lanced at Kenpachi, scoring a deep cut to his side.

Zaraki laughed, and backhanded the tree away a couple feet. "This is more like it! Ha ha!" He streaked in and lunged, and followed up with several thrusts and swings in a shorter arc than usual. Vader swung outside of Kenpachi's pattern, and was blocked; Kenpachi began again and Vader side-stepped him. Zaraki pivoted and relentlessly applied his forward assault, though Vader would dodge and slide his blocks wide. Darth Vader also tried to keep his distance, to better use Twilight Dementia's secondary ability. The shadows' cuts would in theory slowly wear Kenpachi down, until a simple slash was all he needed to finish the fight.

Slipping another thrust, Vader slid back a few feet and used The Force to knock Zaraki's feet from under him. He closed in and tried a downward swing, but Kenpachi turned the fall into a roll and came up with a horizontal slash. Vader back-flipped over it, losing half of his cape in the process. He blocked Kenpachi's swing as he came down, and a swing of his own managed to cut a few of Zaraki's long hair spikes. _At last. Those bells were a supreme irritant._ The extra attack nearly cost him his left arm, though, and he resumed his blocking pattern.

Randy's jaw had been hanging open for the last couple minutes. _Dang... they're more evenly matched than I'd thought. But all those shadow attacks... I'm not sure how this is going to end..._

Pete and T.J. were also having similar doubts. They weren't familiar with _Bleach_ and Kenpachi Zaraki, but nonetheless could tell it was a tight contest between two masters. Vader was a proper swordsman, foregoing the excessive twirls they had seen in the movies; Kenpachi only used one arm to swing, but evidently he'd been doing it for years and had total control. "Think this might top Kenobi and Jinn versus Maul?" Pete wondered. After Darth Vader used his Bankai, he and T.J. had removed their helmets.

"Vader and Kenobi in Episode four's best, but this... this is just incredible." _Real sword fights aren't supposed to last this long..._

_The Force..._ "Definitely..." Randy whispered to himself.

Yachiru Kusajishi looked up at him. "Definitely what?"

_She heard me?_ "Uh, The Force."

"Should he have it? I thought he already did." Yachiru scratched her head.

"I, I think he should use it..."

_Hmm... I think it's what the guy in black used... and wasn't Tamina-kun using it too?_ Yachiru jumped onto Randy's shoulders, and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Kenny! Use The Force!"

Kenpachi almost turned to look. _Just once... don't think I'll need a cheap trick to win this one._ Mustering up a vast amount of The Force, Zaraki lifted up the entirety of one of Squad Eleven's barracks. It wobbled and dipped on its way to the courtyard. _Hope no one's in there._ He brought his arm to his center line, and the barracks followed, until they were only fifty feet above the courtyard. Then it paused, before shuddering again. After a few seconds, it became apparent Kenpachi and Vader were locked in a struggle to bring the barracks down on the other. Contrary to Kenpachi's hopes, there were several of his shinigami inside. They jumped ship, flash stepping to the edges of the courtyard. The barracks shuddered more violently then before. The vibrations gained speed until the barracks twisted and splintered into pieces, raining down on them both. In the unnatural downpour, Vader ran in and began an all-out offensive using the falling debris and the razor shadows of his Bankai. In a momentary lapse of Zaraki's guard, Vader kicked him upwards. Zaraki recovered mid-air and kicked off a chunk of the roof, Vader held a few pieces of the barracks aloft with The Force and followed him up, jumping from fragment to fragment. Kenpachi came down and met Vader as he rose- they traded a few clusters of sharp strikes and cut through the last few bits of the barracks. Vader touched ground first and shifted Zaraki from on top of him, then began a very linear attack strategy like Zaraki had been using.

Of course, Kenpachi immediately recognized this. _What a prick! _For a few moments, Kenpachi countered Vader how the Sith lord had countered him, before doing a Force "rug pull" exactly like the one he'd taken. But before Vader could roll out of it like Kenpachi, he took a kick to the face that flipped him end over end backwards several yards.

Vader chuckled as he stood, and shook off his busted helmet. There was a small trickle of blood from his nose, like the first doubts of a novice monk who's just taken his vows. "Well played, Zaraki." He smiled. "While I admit they were low, you have exceeded my expectations. Impressive." _That eye patch. I can sense it is concealing something._ "I've just been honest with you; why don't you repay me in kind, and remove your eye patch?"

_And I thought that creep from Squad Twelve was a pain in the ass..._ "You don't know what you're asking me to do."

"No, I think I do. I think that eye patch conceals your true power, and that you've been holding back, uncertain if you would need your full strength. But I have not yet shown you the ultimate powers of my Bankai, either. Search your heart, Zaraki! You know this to be true: you won't be able to defeat me unless you unleash your full strength and strike me with all your anger!"

Kenpachi stared at Vader for a few moments, before sliding his thumb under his eye patch. "Screw." He ripped it off, and a golden aura of energy flared out- "You." The ground rumbled slightly, and still more of Kenpachi's spiritual energy streamed out, a skull shape briefly appearing in it. _I try to enjoy myself when I'm fighting, but this guy's making it pretty hard._

Vader didn't wait for Kenpachi to move, and swung Twilight Dementia, several shadows springing up at once. Zaraki parried them easily, the shadows dissipating as the blade of his zanpakuto met them. Suddenly Vader was close in and he had to rush to deflect the swipe at his throat. The circled each other, exchanging only a few attacks: Vader now used even more shadows to attack Kenpachi, only adding in a thrust or slice at an odd angle. Kenpachi blocked some of the shadows, as he knew they were a distraction tactic, but most would have left his blade at precisely the wrong angle to block Twilight Dementia. The revelation made Kenpachi smirk; Vader may have been a bastard of the highest order, but he was a _talented_ bastard. A smile crept onto his face as he began to enjoy their fight again.

The torturous tarantella of travail twirled tempestuously to the tempo of the thundering heartbeats of Vader and Kenpachi, as a kaleidoscope of hopes and light were lost to a galaxy of pain; only to be reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes of an omnicidal rampage. The spectators watched speechless, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, as if in one moment all their dreams had lived and died. Then, abruptly, Michael Jackson appeared, doing the Moon Walk. Yachiru blinked and rubbed her eyes, but he didn't go away. He shadowed Kenpachi, slightly modifying the shinigami's movements into a dance. When Kenpachi drew his arm back for a swing, Michael flicked out his arm and snapped his fingers; when the Captain moved his arm for a block, Michael raised his arm and did The Wave. Then the King of Pop seemed to spread his arms out and fall backwards, only to glide out of reach of the duel. Being around Kenpachi Zaraki had toughened up Yachiru mentally, but her resolve took a near fatal blow on the next sight: Michael stopped dancing and leaned forwards, beginning to tip his hat. His back opened up, his outlandish black jacket melted into his body, the glitter shimmering around him; the back of his ribs lengthened and separated into a pair of bony gold wings, which shook themselves out and fluttered daintily on the breeze, the sun glinting off them. Then Michael's back opened further and a column of light shone down on it, and in a cosmic aura of sound an indistinct vaguely purple entity ascended upwards. It settled down behind Michael, and the glitter blew away on a suspiciously dramatic wind, while the rib-wings lost their luster with a chilling tinkling sound, leaving an empty shell of Michael Jackson.

Vader laughed, almost a giggle. _I can sense the power of my Bankai welling up... soon these unwitting pawns will be captured!_ In brazen defiance of Kenpachi, Darth Vader lowered his guard and turned to the crowd: "_Fools!_ You are unknowingly defeating yourselves at a game you cannot begin to comprehend! You fight for what you perceive as truth? Hypocrites! You lust for freedom but are bound by the light, swell up in hope of love but are denied by the light, and seek to lose yourself in darkness but are found by the light; and in the end the only way to escape what you love is to become the very thing you abhor! The light is a lie! The darkness is a lie! There is but one truth: _POWER-_" Vader's tirade was literally cut short, as once more his right hand was severed.

"You forgot one thing," Kenpachi said dryly. "There's always someone stronger." He risked a shot at Vader's face with his left hand, and scored a hit that further bloodied the Sith's nose, driving him into the dirt and sending him skidding back many yards. But still, Vader rose- albeit slowly. He wiped his nose with the stump of his right hand, smearing blood across his cheek. A low, off-kilter chuckle came from his mouth. Out of nowhere his severed hand came flying up and locked on to Kenpachi's throat.

Vader stood at his full height, which was not especially impressive as Luke had not been that tall. "...And there are none stronger than those who have freed themselves from the illusion of form. Twilight Dementia: Shadow Flare!" There was a subtle but noticable change in the courtyard's brightness: all the shadows had disappeared- save from one place which Vader was saving for his final assault- and flowed in to swarm over Zaraki's skin, before burrowing in. With a swift motion from Vader, they exploded out; seven from Zaraki's chest and abdomen, a couple from his face, as well as some from his joints. To add insult to injury, Vader's severed right hand slapped Kenpachi, and limply fell down. And then... Kenpachi himself followed it, the unstoppable juggernaut brought to his knees in a pool of his own blood.

Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes stared out past the rooftops of Squad Eleven and into the sky, his vision slowly fading to white... and then back in again. He found himself in and endless alleyway, a slight carpeting of mist rolling along the bottom. He heard someone step up behind him, and he turned to face them. The sadly indistinct figure was shrouded in mist and backlit. In a male voice, it spoke thusly: "Kenpachi... remember... who you are..." It faded away, and Kenpachi began to wonder if it had even been there in the first place, but yet he still remembered it's words. Along with them, blood slowly trickled from his unwounded body. And as the blood flowed, so too did the memories: of a man who told him about a place called the Court of Pure Souls, where the best fighters lived, and how he longed to get there. The man had been a rapscallion and a ruffian, but one who nevertheless had a sort of code of honor, living his life with literal brutal honesty. He also was the only man Kenpachi had ever admired, mentoring a nameless vagabond and showing him how to survive on the streets, and how to swing a sword. Kenpachi would eventually name another nameless street urchin after him, and unofficially adopt her as his daughter. As Yachiru's image began to fade, he recalled their penultimate conversation. "I don't get it, why do you always laugh when you fight? You should know better than anyone a fight isn't some bullshit you can giggle and dance your way out of."

"Exactly. That's why I enjoy every swing of my sword, and savor each and every cut: because I never know if it might be my last time." Kenpachi blinked; the Squad courtyard was back in view, and he apparently had said Yachiru's words out loud. _I can't remember the last time I was pushed this far..._ A grin spreading across his face, Kenpachi jerked to standing and miraculously leapt towards a stunned Darth Vader-

-just as the strange purple dinosaur started to laugh wildly. Its features were soft and rounded, not sharp as a true Tyrannosaurus Rex's would have been. Its green spots glowed with a mystic light as it ceased laughing and roared towards the ground. A torrent of liquid fire billowed from its mouth, tracing its way along the ground until it had drawn a pentagram. The flames then revolved slowly, and the purple dinosaur howled with laughter once more. Its eyes suddenly turned gold when it pivoted to point at Yachiru. "Hello, little girl! Guess who's coming to play with Kenny in a few moments?" It clapped its hands and did a jig, never looking away from Yachiru. Who, at the moment, was terrified. "Ooh, no answer! Well let me tell you anyways: it's a pal of mine named _Exodia_. He's so strong, he could crush you into itty-bitty bite size pieces. With just one cutesy-wootsy finger. Ooh hoo hoo! Hurry, little girl!"

"Nooooooo! Kenny, watch out for Exodia! He's coming!" Yachiru hopped off Randy's shoulders and bolted towards where Barney was summoning Exodia. She drew her zanpakuto and was ready to swing at the purple dinosaur when Tamina flash stepped over and grabbed Yachiru around the waist.

_Gah! Are you kidding me?_ Yachiru almost wriggled free, dragging Tamina with her inch by inch. "Yachiru, calm down!" _Hold is slipping hold is slipping..._ "Ikakku, a little help?" The Third Seat rushed to Tamina's aid, seeing that something was definitely wrong. He wrapped his arms around Yachiru's waist from the side.

"No, let me go! I have to stop him from summoning Exodia, or we'll all die!" She fought extra hard against Tamina and Ikakku, managing to gain a few millimeters. "That's it! Baldy and Turtle Face, I am ordering you to let me go! At once!"

The surprise of Yachiru pulling her rank on them was enough to loosen their grip, and the pink-haired girl powered out of her subordinate's arms. But to her horror, no matter how many times she slashed Barney and no matter how much dirt she kicked onto the flames, they didn't go away.

_Exodia? And who's summoning him, Izakh didn't say anything about Yu Gi Oh..._ But as he looked again, Randy could see what Vader was seeing in front of Yachiru-

The Sith lord chuckled again as he locked blades with Kenpachi. "I suppose I should say my Bankai isn't called Twilight _Dementia_ for nothing. Or is it too late for that?" Kenpachi's expression hardened as he realized Vader's zanpakuto was manipulating the light and causing Yachiru to hallucinate. Violently.

"_No! NOOOOOOOOO!_" Yachiru screamed, spit flying from her mouth.

Vader smirked, blood running down from his broken nose over his lips. "Go on, save her! Defeat Exodia, won't you? Ha ha ha!"

Zaraki Kenpachi forced Vader back a few feet, and... brought his other arm up, to hold his zanpakuto with both hands. "You sick fuck." Almost in slow motion they clashed again; Vader blocking one swing, then another, before taking a thrust to his heart. Kenpachi cut through out to his side, and the Sith Lord stumbled back a step before falling, the maniacal grin still plastered on his face. In the wake of his fall there was utter silence. Zaraki lurched over to Yachiru, and picked up the crying girl. "I'm heading over to the infirmary real quick. Ikakku, you watch the place while we're gone."

"Yes sir," Ikakku replied with a solemn salute. The other shinigami of Squad Eleven saluted their Captain as he passed by, and Izakh opened the door for him. Sui Feng nodded to him as he went into the building and was about to say something when Captain Commander Yamamoto flash stepped into their group. There were several burn holes in his Captain's jacket, and the end of his beard was singed.

"...There are few victories which do not also come with a loss of some kind," He said. "And the greatest victories require the greatest sacrifices." He cleared his throat. "With the assistance of captains Kurotsuchi and Ukitake, I was able to eliminate the invader's aircraft. Captain Sui Feng, we will have a formal debriefing upon Captain Zaraki's healing and return; until then, is there any other information to be briefly discussed now?"

Tamina looked around before raising her hand. "Sir?"

Yamamoto nodded. "Speak."

"One of our barracks was destroyed in the fight. Where will we be staying?"

Yamamoto exhaled and thought for a moment. "Until it is rebuilt, I suppose those who were displaced may bunk with Squad Ten for the time being. If I remember correctly they have several members on duty in the world of the living so there should be room." He looked to Ikakku and Squad Eleven's other officers. "Is there anything else? No?" He glanced to Izakh. "May The Force be with you." He said, before flash stepping off.

T.J. shared a look with Pete. "This is officially the most bizarre day of my life."

In spite of herself, Tamina chuckled. "You should see some of the things the Shinigami Women's Association gets up to, then." She smiled at Sui Feng, who smirked back. "Say, how long are you four planning on staying here?" She said, gesturing to Izakh.

"A few days at the most. We were here to recruit help for our mission, nothing more or less. And it seems we'll be receiving aid according to my agreement with Captain Yamamoto, so I would say perhaps until tomorrow morning."

"Just the morning?" Ikakku asked. "Ranji- Ren- whatever his name is looks pretty banged up."

Randy looked down at himself. There were large bloodstains on his shinigami uniform, and he had a few scrapes on his forearms and hands from rolling around on the cobblestones earlier. "Nah, I'm fine. It's not my blood." Ikakku grinned.

Sui Feng spoke up. "Where will you be recruiting from next?"

Izakh looked to Randy. "Where's our next stop?"

"Home."


End file.
